EDITORIAL POLICIES

Publication Policies – Al-Qadisiyah Journal of Chemistry

Al-Qadisiyah Journal of Chemistry  is firmly committed to principles of ethical integrity and moral responsibility. The journal reserves the right to initiate legal review processes, when necessary, on a case-by-case basis.  All Editorial decisions  are made independently and are not influenced by promotional activities or reproduction requests or any external considerations. .

Reviewer Responsibilities

·         Confidentiality:  Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential documents. Content from submitted papers must not be disclosed, discussed or shared with third parties without prior authorization from the Editor. Reviewers are also expected to refrain from retaining or using data from the manuscript after the review process is complete.

·         Competence: Reviewers are expected to have appropriate expertise in the subject area of the manuscript. If a reviewer feels unqualified to provide a fair and  thorough assessment, they are ethically obliged to decline the assignment. It is presumed that reviewers are specialists in the relevant scientific field, and evaluations must be based on professional competence.

·         Constructive Evaluation: Reviewers should recognize the strengths of a manuscript, provide constructive feedback on its weaknesses, and suggest  clear and specific improvements. Their assessments must be well-reasoned, balanced  and clearly articulated  so that both Editors and Authors can fully  understand the basis of the critique.

·         Citation and Originality: If  reviewers identify that a claim, argument or significant portion of a manuscript  has been previously published, they must  reference or suggest the appropriate source. Any suspicion of plagiarism or duplicate publication should be reported promptly to the Editor.

·         Professional Conduct: Reviewers must provide feedback in a respectful and professional manner. They should refrain  from using offensive, discriminatory, or inappropriate language in their comments.

·         Objective Judgment: Reviewers must evaluate each manuscript impartially, based solely on its scholarly merits. Personal bias, conflicts of interest or external influence must not affect the review process

·         Integrity and Fairness: Review decisions must be  grounded exclusively in scientific quality, relevance to the journal’s scope, and academic merit—regardless of the authors’ financial status, ethnicity,  institutional affiliation, gender, nationality or other personal characteristics.

·         Conflict of Interest: Reviewers should avoid conflicts of interest whenever possible. If a conflict arises, they must inform the Editor and provide a clear explanation.

·         Timeliness and Communication: Reviewers are ethically obliged to submit their evaluations within the designated timeframe. They should also respond promptly to any follow-up queries or requests for clarification from the Editor.

Editor  and Editorial Board Responsibilities

·         Maintaining Scholarly Integrity: Editors are responsible for preserving the accuracy and credibility of the published literature. This includes issuing corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern when necessary, and ensuring that such actions are taken promptly and transparently.

·         Adherence to Policy: Editors must follow the publisher’s guidelines and carry out their duties with transparency and integrity.

·         Peer Review Oversight: Editors must ensure that the peer-review process is conducted fairly, and within the designated timeframe. Reviews should be thorough and respectful. Editors may also encourage submissions or recommend topics of emerging significance and relevance to enhance the journal’s academic contribution and impact.

Responsibilities Toward Readers and the Scientific Community:

·         Guaranteeing the clarity, accuracy  and readability of manuscript content and author information.

·         Assessing submitted manuscripts to ensure they align with the journal’s thematic scope.

·         Upholding the journal’s internal standards by recommending necessary revisions, managing retractions, and handling supplementary materials.

·         Collaborating with the publisher to attract high-quality submissions that engage and benefit the readership.

·         Reinforcing ethical practices by  making it clear that that citation manipulation is strictly unacceptable.